Asynchronous inputs and flip-flop metastability in the CLAS trigger at CEBAF

The impact of flip-flop metastability on the pipelined trigger for the CLAS detector at CEBAF (Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility) has been studied. It is found that the newest ECL (emitter coupled logic) flip-flops (ECLinPS) are much faster than older families at resolving the metastable condition. This will allow their use in systems with asynchronous inputs without an extra stage of synchronizing flip-flops.<
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